Unforgivable and Unforgettable

( July 10, 2014, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Two words project not only the visit of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, Special Envoy from South Africa with his tweets, making us in Sri Lanka look in disbelief, of hardly expecting him to solve our problems, in two days. The same two words also relate the unexpected story of the brilliant finish of the World Cup Semi finals between five times World Cup winners and the absolutely ruthless and clinical way, the Germans destroyed Brazil, in the biggest humiliation in Football history.

Brazil lost their star player, 22 year old Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, (Neymar, for short) during their last game with Columbia, with a fractured spinal injury and their Captain Thiago Silva to suspension, being vulnerable, even before the game started. It was fears for tears as Germany scored four goals within six minutes ending with a 7-1 win to reach the finals against the winners, either Argentina or Holland, in the World Cup in Rio.

Political football

While all this was happening in Bello Horizonte, Brazil, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor was in China on a trade visit, warning US over spy claims within Germany. China represents Germany’s second largest export market outside Europe after America. The reciprocal relationship is also worth a considerable amount to China, with exports to Germany totalling Euro 73 bn. (£58 bn.) last year.

It is not all that’s happening. George Osborne, the British Chancellor and Foreign Secretary William Hague, were hailing Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, telling an audience in Mumbai, days ago that “the good days are here again.”

It was only some years ago that concerns over Modi’s record on human rights were raised, perhaps, now conveniently forgotten.

Everything is possible

In love and war, they say, everything is possible. Today anything is possible, when it also comes to trade. Yes, anything is possible. Well, not quite, because things do happen to take us by surprise.

The key words for us in Sri Lanka for things to happen are three simple words. They comprise flexibility, opportunity and innovation.

As Sri Lankans, we have to think big, for things to happen. It is why whatever anybody says, President Rajapaksa, cannot be accused by his critics of thinking big.

Why on earth do we exaggerate violent incidents?

Dr. Jehan Perera, in his recent article in the Sunday Leader states and I quote:

“After the Aluthgama riots, I was at a meeting where a Buddhist monk exclaimed in anguish, that an entirely wrong picture of the Buddhists has been given to the world.

“He was not denying that the Aluthgama riots had taken place and that innocent Muslims had even been killed and their properties burnt. He was merely trying to say that those who attacked the Muslims were not doing this with the consent of the Sinhalese masses. These were small groups acting without the blessing of the larger society, although perhaps with the blessings of powerful elements in society, which is what has given them their vast power and immunity to attack as they will. This is all the more tragic because the message that goes to the Muslims in Sri Lanka and to the larger international community, is that the Sinhalese are attacking Muslims.”

Sorry situations

Whether it is our views on the World Cup Football, or the world’s attention on Sri Lanka, we as Sri Lankans could and should present ourselves able to control and contain our problems within our nation. Sri Lanka is different either from South Africa, Norway, or for that matter any other nation.

The essential prerequisite for a Nation and a State is Order. When order cannot be enforced or restored, internally, it is no longer respected by other nations and States as one among equals. Let us be flexible to react internally. Let us hope to solve our problems internally and gain respect externally.